Oceanography & Coastal Sciences Directory
Department Administration | Faculty | Emeritus Faculty | Adjunct Faculty | Post-docs and Researchers
Department Chair
Kanchan Maiti
Chair and Shell Professor of Oceanography
225-578-4531
[email protected]
Research Interests:
Research conducted at the Marine Geochemistry Laboratory led by Dr. Maiti explores
interlinked topics related to transport and transformation of carbon, nutrients, and
contaminants in coastal and deep ocean systems utilizing geochemical tracers and autonomous
observation platforms. The availability of organic and inorganic carbon species can
directly and indirectly impact various biogeochemical processes across the land-estuary-ocean
aquatic continuum like formation of hypoxia, increase in ocean acidification, benthic
elemental fluxes, biological carbon pump and air-sea exchange of greenhouse gases,
which has implications for carbon budget at both local and global scales. Dr. Maiti’s
research group seeks to provide answers to some of the fundamental questions related
to ocean carbon biogeochemistry and environmental quality through field-based observations,
natural isotope tracers and laboratory microcosm experiments. Current projects investigate
the impacts of hurricanes on carbon budget in coastal Louisiana/Texas, carbon remineralization
pathways and methane fluxes in GOM sediments, sediment driven ocean acidification
in Louisiana shelf, submarine groundwater discharge in coastal Turkey, biological
carbon fluxes and sediment carbon accumulation in Ross Sea, Antarctica and methane
emission from orphan wells in Louisiana.
Dana Sanders
Assistant to the Chair
225-578-6308
[email protected]
Sharon Butler
Coordinator
225-578-6455
[email protected]
Heather Weeden
Travel/Purchasing Coordinator
225-578-2060
[email protected]
Faculty (A-Z)
Sibel Bargu Ates
Associate Dean of Academics, CC&E and Shell Professor in Oceanography/Wetland Studies
225-578-3334
[email protected]
Research Interests:
Freshwater, Estuarine and Marine Phytoplankton Ecology, Harmful Algal Blooms and Food
Web Contamination, Phytoplankton-Zooplankton Interactions, Global Climate Change
Mark C. Benfield
Professor
225-578-6372
[email protected]
Research Interests:
Zooplankton ecology, optical and acoustic sensing of zooplankton, computer-based classification
of zooplankton, acoustical telemetry studies of fish and invertebrates, application
of industrial remotely operated vehicles (ROV) in biological observatories.
Jennifer R. Brum
Assistant Professor
225-578-6364
[email protected]
Research Interests:
Ecology and biogeochemical impacts of aquatic viruses
Michael Dance
Associate Professor
225-578-1243
[email protected]
Research Interests:
Movement ecology, fisheries science, population connectivity, stock assessment, seascape
ecology, habitat use, early life history of marine fishes
Christopher D'Elia
Professor
225-578-7188
[email protected]
Research Interests:
Nutrient dynamics in aquatic systems; estuarine ecology; coral reef ecology; algal/invertebrate
symbiosis; science history and policy; math and science education; marine pollution;
global climate change; analytical chemistry
Eurico J. D'Sa
Professor
225-578-0212
[email protected]
Research Interests:
Ocean color remote sensing, bio-optical properties of coastal and ocean waters, physical-biogeochemical
interactions; coastal biogeochemical processes
Cassandra Glaspie
Assistant Professor
[email protected]
225-578-0379
Research Interests:
My research integrates laboratory, field, and modeling approaches to address the question:
how does environmental change alter interactions between members of an ecological
community, and what are the implications for humanity? My lab focuses on coastal and
estuarine benthic (bottom-dwelling) organisms.
Cheryl Harrison
Assistant Professor
[email protected]
225-578-6425
Research Interests:
Physical, biogeochemical and ocean ecosystem modeling, applied mathematics, marine
ecology, fisheries, climate impacts on marine ecosystems and fisheries, physical and
biological transport, ecological dispersal, mesoscale biophysical interactions, and
geoengineering.
Matthew Hiatt
Associate Professor
225-578-6092
[email protected]
Research Interests:
Coastal hydrology, environmental fluid dynamics, harmful algal blooms, water transport
timescales in deltas and wetlands, hydrological connectivity in coastal environments,
network analysis, nearshore waves
Dan Holstein
Associate Professor
225-578-6371
[email protected]
Research Interests:
My lab studies various aspects of seascape ecology, including invertebrate reproduction,
larval dispersal, metapopulation modeling, and the spatial ecology of environmental
change. We focus on tropical coral reefs, with a special interest in refuge environments
- like deeper mesophotic reefs - and how these environments interact with others in
the seascape.
Haosheng Huang
Associate Professor
225-578-5117
[email protected]
Research Interests:
Physical oceanography, circulation in regional seas and continental shelves, coastal
and estuarine circulation dynamics, unstructured grid numerical modeling and data
assimilation, tide and storm surge simulation, bio-physical interaction and ecosystem
modeling
Dubravko Justic
Texaco Distinguished Professor
225-578-6394
[email protected]
Research Interests:
Ecosystem modeling, biological oceanography, coastal eutrophication, hypoxia, impacts
of climate change on coastal ecosystems
Chunyan Li
Professor and Mobil Distinguished Professor of Marine Geology
225-578-3619
[email protected]
Research Interests:
Physical oceanography, transport, coastal and estuarine circulations, innovative observations,
modeling, extreme weather (such as hurricanes), induced water level changes including
storm surges
Jun-Hong Liang
Associate Professor, Center for Computation and Technology
225-578-7031
[email protected]
Research Interests:
Physical Oceanography; Ocean Biogeochemical Dynamis; Ocean modeling
Kam-biu Liu
George W. Barineau III Professor
225-578-8203
[email protected]
Research Interests:
Thematic: paleotempestology, coastal paleoecology, global environmental change, palynology
and lake-sediments; Regional: U.S. Gulf coast and Atlantic coast, Caribbean region
and Central America, South America (Andes and Amazon Basin), Tibetan Plateau, China
Kanchan Maiti
Department Chair and Shell Professor in Oceanography/Wetland Studies
225-578-4531
[email protected]
Research Interests:
Research conducted at the Marine Geochemistry Laboratory led by Dr. Maiti explores
interlinked topics related to transport and transformation of carbon, nutrients, and
contaminants in coastal and deep ocean systems utilizing geochemical tracers and autonomous
observation platforms. The availability of organic and inorganic carbon species can
directly and indirectly impact various biogeochemical processes across the land-estuary-ocean
aquatic continuum like formation of hypoxia, increase in ocean acidification, benthic
elemental fluxes, biological carbon pump and air-sea exchange of greenhouse gases,
which has implications for carbon budget at both local and global scales. Dr. Maiti’s
research group seeks to provide answers to some of the fundamental questions related
to ocean carbon biogeochemistry and environmental quality through field-based observations,
natural isotope tracers and laboratory microcosm experiments. Current projects investigate
the impacts of hurricanes on carbon budget in coastal Louisiana/Texas, lateral carbon
flux from coastal wetlands, carbon remineralization pathways and methane fluxes in
GOM sediments, sediment driven ocean acidification in Louisiana shelf, submarine groundwater
discharge in coastal Turkey, biological carbon fluxes and sediment carbon accumulation
in Ross Sea, Antarctica and methane emission from orphan wells in Louisiana.
Giulio Mariotti
Associate Professor
[email protected]
Research Interests:
My research focuses on the processes that shape coastal environments. I am interested
in coupling physical and biochemical aspects, e.g. ecogeomorphology and biogeology.
I carry forward my research using mathematical models, laboratory experiments and
field work. My current agenda encompasses three main topics: 1) Wetland response to
sea level rise, sediment supply and storminess. 2) Coupled dynamics of sediment &
biofilms / microbial-mats. 3) Carbonate platform sedimentary processes.
Stephen Midway
Associate Professor
225-578-6458
[email protected]
Research Interests:
I study a variety of aspects of fisheries ecology, often with applications to improving
the management of commercial and recreational coastal fish species. My work includes
basic biology and life history, species–environment interactions, and the use of hierarchical
Bayesian models, among other tools.
Paul Miller
Assistant Professor
225-578-2734
[email protected]
Research Interests:
Coastal meteorology; Hydroclimatology; Mesoscale climate science; Weakly forced thunderstorms;
Land-atmosphere interactions; Hazardous weather impacts
Victor H. Rivera-Monroy
Associate Professor
225-578-2745
[email protected]
Research Interests:
Estuarine and coastal ecosystems; biogeochemistry of wetlands; landscape modeling/ecosystem
models; coastal management/aquaculture; mangrove forest rehabilitation/restoration;
nutrient cycling inwetlands (nitrogen, phosphorus, carbon)
Tracy Quirk
Associate Professor
225-578-6426
[email protected]
Research Interests:
Wetland ecology and restoration including plant and microbial processes, nutrient
and carbon cycling and accretion dynamics, human impact on wetland ecosystems, and
organic matter and nutrient linkages between coastal wetlands and rivers, estuaries,
and submerged aquatic ecosystems.
Nancy Rabalais
Professor and Shell Endowed Chair in Oceanography and Wetland Studies
225-578-8531
[email protected]
Research Interests:
Coastal change; eutrophication and hypoxia; cumulative coastal stressors; historical
reconstruction of ecosystem changes from sediments; pelagic and benthic processes;
human impacts in wetland and coastal ecosystems; science policy
Robert V. Rohli
Professor
225-578-6346
[email protected]
Research Interests:
Coastal weather and climate, atmospheric circulation variability, atmospheric hazards,
tropical cyclone dynamics, surface-atmosphere interactions, synoptic meteorology and
climatology, geoscience education, history of science
Robert Twilley
Professor
225-578-6710
[email protected]
Nan D. Walker
Professor and James P. Morgan Distinguished Professor of Coastal Studies; Director,
Earth Scan Laboratory
225-578-2395
[email protected]
Research Interests:
Physical oceanography, Satellite oceanography, Estuarine-shelf exchange processes,
Air-sea interactions and tropical cyclone intensity, Gulf of Mexico Loop Current and
eddy circulations, Physical-biological interactions, Physical processes affecting
coral reef health
John R. White
John and Catherine Day Professor and Associate Dean of Research of the College of
the Coast & Environment
225-578-8792
[email protected]
Research Interests:
Our research focuses on biogeochemical cycling of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus
in aquatic systems including coastal and freshwater wetlands, estuaries and lake sediments,
treatment performance of constructed wetlands for nutrients and pharmaceuticals removal,
dynamics of internal nutrient loading, microbial-mediated nutrient transformations,
plant-nutrient-soil dynamics. We provide critical research in helping coastal restoration
managers to make informed decisions.
Kehui (Kevin) Xu
Professor and Director, Coastal Studies Institute
225-578-0389
[email protected]
Research Interests:
Coastal restoration; sediment diversion; sediment dredging and management, geological
oceanography, coastal morphodynamics, observation and numerical modeling of sediment
transport, sedimentary geology, coastal processes
Zuo (George) Xue
Professor (joint appointment with the Center for Computation and Technology)
225-578-1118
[email protected] (Contact me for graduate student opportunities)
Research Interests:
Physical-bio-geochemical modeling; Coastal ocean carbon cycling; Coupled atmospheric-hydrological
modeling
Emeritus Faculty
Robert S. Carney
Emeritus Professor
225-578-6511
[email protected]
Research Interests:
Biological oceanography, research administration
John W. Day, Jr.
Emeritus Professor
225-578-6508
[email protected]
Research Interests:
Estuarine Ecology, Systems Ecology, Wetland Ecology, Ecological Modeling, Effects
of Humans on Natural Systems, Tropical Coastal Ecology, Energy, Sustainability, Urban
Dynamics
Ronald DeLaune
Emeritus Professor
225-578-6421
[email protected]
Research Interests:
Biogeochemical cycling, Wetland Biogeochemistry, coastal processes, non-point source
pollution, coastal restoration, soil-plant interactions, coastal marsh stability,
sedimentation processes, wetland plant ecology, degradation and bioremediation of
toxic organics, heavy metal chemistry, ecotoxicology, greenhouse gases.
Charles Lindau
Emeritus Professor
225-578-8766
[email protected]
Research Interests:
Nitrogen transformations in flooded soils and sediments, stable isotopes, greenhouse
gases, oil spill remediation, point and non-point pollution
Irving A. Mendelssohn
Emeritus Professor
225-578-6425
[email protected]
Research Interests:
Wetland and barrier island plant ecology, plant physiological ecology
Harry H. Roberts
Emeritus Boyd Professor
225-578-2964
[email protected]
Research Interests:
Marine geology, sedimentology, deltaic and reef processes
Richard F. Shaw
Emeritus Professor
225-578-3334
[email protected]
Research Interests:
Larval/juvenile fish habitat and ecology; biological/fisheries oceanography; transport
and recruitment mechanisms and coastal-estuarine processes; age, growth and mortality
analyses, fisheries and global climate change, research administration
R. Eugene Turner
Emeritus Boyd Professor
225-578-6454
[email protected]
Research Interests:
Biological oceanography, conservation, environmental management, estuarine ecology,
fisheries ecology, restoration, sustainable systems, wetlands
Adjunct Faculty
Melissa M. Baustian
Adjunct Professor, College of the Coast & Environment, USGS Ecologist
337-266-8500
[email protected]
Research Interests:
Assessing how pelagic, benthic, and vegetated habitats of coastal ecosystems support
functions of nutrient cycling, trophic dynamics of food webs, and carbon sequestration;
understanding how microphytobenthos are influenced by nutrient enrichment, climate
change, and coastal restoration
Brian Roberts
Adjunct Professor, College of the Coast & Environment, LUMCON Executive Director and
Chief Scientist
985-851-2801
[email protected]
Research Interests:
Ecosystem ecology and biogeochemistry, particularly focused on terrestrial-aquatic
and community-ecosystem linkages along the aquatic continuum; human-induced environmental
impacts on aquatic ecosystems; restoration ecology
Jacob Berkowitz
Adjunct Professor, College of the Coast & Environment, USACE Research Soil Scientist
601-529-3115
[email protected]
Research Interests:
Hydric soils, wetland assessment, restoration, biogeochemistry, forested wetlands,
beneficial use of dredged sediments technology transfer
Marcelo Cancela Lisboa Cohen
Adjunct Professor
786-449-9749
[email protected]
Research Interests:
Holocene and Anthropocene history of mangrove dynamics on the Brazilian coast and
Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean regions, remote sensing, fossil pollen, stable isotopes
and sedimentary features to reconstruct environments impacted by sea-level fluctuations
and climate changes
Research Associates and Post-doctoral Researchers
Anandkumar Arumugam
[email protected]
225-578-9370
1165 Energy, Coast & Environment Building
Thomas Blanchard
[email protected]
225-578-9370
3197 Energy, Coast and Environment Building
Chris Cleaver
[email protected]
225-578-5869
119 Sea Grant Shop
Maelle Cornic
[email protected]
2247 Energy, Coast & Environment Building
Darren Depew
[email protected]
225-578-8606
Dana Doucet
[email protected]
3199 Energy, Coast & Environment Building
Frank Driscoll
[email protected]
2267 Energy, Coast & Environment Buillding
Victoria Garza
[email protected]
3151 Energy, Coast & Environment Building
Jesbin George
[email protected]
2211 Energy, Coast & Environment Building
Kaitlyn Hall
[email protected]
2267 Energy, Coast & Environmentt Building
Fenglin Han
[email protected]
Songjie He
DOCS Post-doc / DES Adjunct Professor
225-578-76590
[email protected]
2147 Energy, Coast & Environment Building
Research Interests:
Carbon and nutrient cycling in coastal wetlands, such as marsh lateral carbon fluxes
and air-water greenhouse gas fluxes in marshes
Thinh D Huynh
[email protected]
Song Li
[email protected]
3191 Energy, Coast & Environment Building
Jinliang Liu
[email protected]
Yixin Luo
[email protected]
Brian Milan
[email protected]
Mark Miller
[email protected]
225-578-7782
107 Sea Grant Shop
Sophia Nelson
[email protected]
3201 Energy, Coast & Environment Building
Mike Rabalais
[email protected]
1002 Energy, Coast & Environment Building
Jessica Richardson
[email protected]
3243 Energy, Coast & Environment Building
Kelsey Roberts
[email protected]
2173 Energy, Coast & Environment Building
Emily R. Savoie
[email protected]
Shae Schreckengost
[email protected]
2176 Energy, Coast & Environment Building
Angela Stahl
[email protected]
1243 Energy, Coast & Environment Building
Erick Swenson
[email protected]
225-578-2730
1192 Energy, Coast and Environment Building
Ivan Vargas
[email protected]
3201 Energy, Coast and Environment Building
Lixia Wang
[email protected]
225-578-5213
2223 Energy, Coast & Environment Building
Gina Woods
[email protected]
3231 Energy, Coast & Environment Building
Edward Weeks
[email protected]
225-578-9399
W0208B Howe Russell Kniffen West Geoscience Building
Qiang Yao
[email protected]
225-200-5299 (cell)
3279/3280 Energy, Coast and Environment Building